NEW DELHI – During A drill performed by armed forces of India and Pakistanat Attari-Wagah border daily, Pakistani cricketer Hasan Ali entered theflag-lowering ceremony from the Pakistani side Saturday evening and madehis signature wicket-taking gesture towards the Border Security Force (BSF)and Indian audience.
The BSF has taken strong note of a civilian from Pakistan “interfering” inthe ceremony on the Pakistani side. As per protocol, the ceremony is to beconducted only by the BSF on the Indian side and Rangers on the Pakistaniside.
“The act has hit the sanctity of the parade. We will lodge a protest withPakistan Rangers,” BSF Inspector General (Punjab Frontier) Mukul Goel told *TheSunday Express* over phone.ADVERTISEMENT
Goel added, “Anyone can make any aggressive gesture in the viewers’ galleryon both sides but no public person can interfere in the parade. Before orafter the parade, the people are free to do such things, but not in themiddle of the parade,” Goel added.
BSF spokesperson and DIG R S Kataria said, “I am on leave. I have inquiredinto it. A BSF officer at Attari has told me that the national cricket teamof Pakistan had come to witness the ceremony at Wagah. One of thecricketers from their team started making provocative gestures during thedrill. It happened on Pakistani side. Pakistani officers later made thatplayer sit. Since it is a drill of forces of two countries, BSF is lodgingprotest with Pakistan Rangers.”
Two BSF officers at Attari declined to comment on the matter, saying theywere “not authorised to speak to the media”.
In a video that went viral, Ali is seen making his way into the midst ofthe ceremony as Rangers look on. Ali, a medium pace bowler, is seen pattingon his thigh, raising arms like Rangers and celebrating just as he doesafter taking a wicket before a man in civilian clothes escorts him backamid applause from Pakistani audience. Ali’s act spans nearly 40 seconds.
The official Twitter handle of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted anumber of photographs of Pakistani cricket team’s visit to Wagah Saturday,among them a picture of Ali wearing a red cap.
PCB also retweeted another a tweet by another Pakistani cricketer, ShadabKhan, in which Khan tweeted a video of Ali’s act and wrote: “*Meradost*@RealHa55anentertaining everyone at Wahga border. He really does know how to engagethe crowd.”
A video titled ‘Hasan Ali gatecrashed the flag lowering ceremony at theWagah Border to hype up the crowd with his trademark wicket celebration’and uploaded by Pakistani newspaper Dawn on its Facebook page went viraland had nearly 12,000 ‘likes’, 2,000 comments, 9,800 shares and 22,5000views by late evening Saturday.